The short answer
Golf Handicapp now runs live tournament leaderboards. Set up a society day, medal or golf trip, watch every player's score move in real time, and the round still updates each player's WHS handicap automatically. No spreadsheets, no double-entry.
We have wanted this one for a while. Most golf apps can run a tournament, and plenty do it well. But there has always been a gap: the comp lives in one place and your handicap lives in another, so the round you played on Saturday needs logging twice, or it quietly never gets logged at all. Live Leaderboards closes that gap.
Why a leaderboard from a handicap app is different
The difference is simple to say and hard for anyone else to copy: the round you play in the event counts toward your official WHS handicap, automatically. We can do that because we are a handicap app first. A qualifying score posted inside an event flows straight into your handicap record, so there is no second step, no “did you remember to enter it?”, and no parallel spreadsheet. The leaderboard and your index are finally the same system.
How it works
Setting one up takes about a minute. Pick the course and tees, choose the format and the handicap allowance, and invite your group. Each player scores their own round hole by hole, and the leaderboard updates live as cards come in, with points, position and how many holes each player has left. When the last card is in, the winner is shown and every qualifying round has already gone to each player's handicap.
Net scoring on real handicaps
Because we already hold everyone's handicap, the net leaderboard is built on real numbers rather than pub-bet estimates. Here is what that looks like in practice. Two friends play the white tees at The Heron Country Club, which are rated 73.4 with a slope of 131, par 72.
A player off a Handicap Index of 8.0 gets a Course Handicap of 8.0 × (131 / 113) + (73.4 − 72) = 11 strokes. A player off 18.0 gets 18.0 × (131 / 113) + 1.4 = 22 strokes. So if the first shoots a gross 85 and the second a gross 95, the net leaderboard reads 85 − 11 = 74 against 95 − 22 = 73, and the 18 handicapper edges it by one. Fair, transparent, and worked out the moment each card lands. If you want to sanity-check your own number first, our WHS calculator and the guide to playing handicap vs handicap index show exactly how those strokes are worked out.
Run your first tournament free
30-day free trial. No card needed to start.
What you can run
It suits the everyday stuff golfers actually organise: the monthly society day for a dozen to thirty players, a club medal without the spreadsheet, the mates' trip wanting a running leaderboard across three days and three courses, or a junior event where mixed ages play their own tees on their own course handicaps and still share one fair board. Wherever the round is a qualifying one, it counts.
What is next
This is the first release, and the foundation is the part that matters: live scoring, net standings on real handicaps, and rounds that feed your index. From here we will keep adding formats and games on top, so the leaderboard becomes the home for more of the ways your group likes to compete. The full feature lives on the tournaments page.
Common questions
Does a tournament round count toward my WHS handicap?+
Yes. A qualifying round you post inside a Golf Handicapp event updates your handicap record the same way any acceptable score does. That is the whole idea: no separate logging step after the comp.
Can players of different handicaps compete fairly?+
Yes. The net leaderboard uses each player's playing handicap for the tees they are on, so a low and a high handicapper can play the same event and the standings stay fair.
Do all the players need the app?+
Each player scores their own round in the app, so the competitors need it installed. The 30-day free trial means a whole group can get going without paying up front.
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Last updated 18 June 2026.